Breakdown of Ona je nepokolebljiva u odluci, makar što oni rekli.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ona
she
što
what
oni
they
u
in, into
reći
to tell
odluka
decision
nepokolebljiv
unwavering
makar
no matter / even if
Questions & Answers about Ona je nepokolebljiva u odluci, makar što oni rekli.
What is the difference between makar što and ma što in this context?
There is no difference in meaning! Both makar što and ma što mean no matter what or whatever. You can create these free-choice phrases by adding the particle ma or makar right before a question word like što, tko, or gdje.
Why is the verb just rekli here? Shouldn't it have a helper verb like su or bi?
In these concessive (no matter what) clauses, Croatian frequently drops the helper verb and uses just the bare l-participle, which is rekli here. It acts as a shortcut for the conditional (bi rekli), giving the sentence a hypothetical feeling: no matter what they might say.
Why is the word for decision spelled odluci instead of odluki?
The base noun is odluka. Because it follows the preposition u to show a state, it needs the locative case ending -i. In Croatian, when a noun ends in -ka, -ga, or -ha, the consonant usually changes before an -i (a rule called sibilarization). Here, the k changes to c, giving us odluci.
The adjective nepokolebljiva is quite long. How is this word built?
It breaks down into very logical pieces! The root comes from the verb pokolebati (to sway or shake someone's resolve). The prefix ne- means not, and the suffix -ljiv roughly means -able. So, nepokolebljiv literally means un-sway-able. It ends in -a here to match the feminine subject Ona.
Learn Ona je nepokolebljiva u odluci, makar što oni rekli and more in Croatian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free